Drupal has been on the scene for over 15 years now, which speaks volumes for its durability. Yet myths about Drupal have been lingering online since it’s inception and is still going strong.
The truth is, Drupal has something to offer everyone, from the small business owner to large enterprises and government departments. It has a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, core system with access to thousands of additional modules that enable customization for any business.
And yet Drupal myths persist. Let’s dispel them, once and for all.
Myth #1: Drupal is Not Secure
The White House website runs on Drupal. Doesn’t that say something?
Some people have the misconception that Drupal is vulnerable because it is open source. Drupal has a strong, thriving community of web developers dedicated to plugging any holes in the security of the framework. And there aren’t many to plug in the first place!
Drupal is used for CMS and web development by organizations that have security uppermost in mind. These include the US Department of Energy, the New York Stock Exchange, Twitter, and NBC. Many Fortune 500 companies use Drupal, including General Electric, Time Warner, and Johnson & Johnson.
Security is not an issue.
Myth #2: Support is Lacking
No way. Drupal is known for its large global community dedicated to supporting all aspects of development and its users. There’s a call center, chat groups, discussion forums and many other online groups of Drupal enthusiasts. Many of these are featured under “Planet Drupal” on the Drupal website.
Myth #3: Functionality is Limited
Wrong! WordPress is limited. Even WordPress’s templates are limited and inflexible. Drupal is built on a solid core that provides a powerful foundation for development. It gives you the freedom to add modules to create a website tailored to your precise needs. There’s nothing generic about Drupal.
Myth #4: Open Source Means Low Quality
In fact, the opposite is true. Closed source defects and glitches can go undetected for a long time. Drupal’s open source community detects and fixes any problems fast, then alerts other users.
Myth #5: Drupal is Too Complex
This myth about Drupal is being dispelled by Drupal 8’s WYSIWYG editor. OK, so Drupal is a more technical CMS than WordPress or Joomla. That means it has more grunt under the hood.
The truth: Drupal is highly flexible and can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. You can build a website in a few hours with no knowledge of programming code needed. Or you can leverage your access to numerous modules to create a far more powerful site than you could with less flexible programs.
Myth #6: Limited Scalability
Drupal is a good choice for businesses, organizations, and websites of all sizes. It is powerful enough and has the flexibility to scale up as your business grows.
Myth #7: Development is Too Expensive
Drupal development doesn’t have to be expensive. Like anything else, it depends on how many features and applications you want to add.
Myth #8: Drupal is Slow
The perception that Drupal appears to be sluggish is most definitely a myth. The performance of any website in the world depends on the complexity of customization, complexity of functions, and the network hardware and web development behind it. Drupal can streamline the functionality of a site without compromising performance.
Myth #9: Difficult Third Party Integration
Drupal integrates fairly easily with most third-party software applications. The Drupal developer community is also on hand to solve any problems with integration.
Myth #10: Upgrading or Migrating is Difficult
Have we mentioned the outstandingly helpful developer community for help and support? On top of that, ask an innovative and energetic web development company for professional guidance about Drupal migration and see how simple and painless it can be. Remember that those myths about Drupal (and other platforms), are just myths until you ask for the opinions of experienced professionals.